Improvement in bee-hives



@wat @titte EELI*\;XIBREWER, orf-WAYNns'vlL-Ln, MIss'oxUnI.

V.Letters Patent No. 112,317, dated March 7, 1871.

t illilPRovEMENT llv-v B EE-HlvEs.

` The `Schedule referred to in'these Lettera Patent mak-ing parc of the same.

" 1, rmx Bewan, of Waynesville, Pulaski county, Missouri, have'invented an Improved Bee-Hive, of

which the following isa specification. l Nature Objects zof the Invention.

The iirst part 'of my invention relates to the combframes, which are lmade of af roof' shape, with their .apexes directly in line withthe center'of the hive, and

with their basesresting upon 4the tops fof' t-he side walls i of the.breeding-chamber, by which-arrangement said` `flamesarerendered capable of being lifted from the hive whenever desired. i Y l The second part of ,my improvements relatesto the peculialgflshape of the-hive, which is constructed in such a" manner as 17d-form a brood-chamber below and a honey-chamber above, the two apartments being l :separated by a series' of the aforesaid rootlshaped comb- Gcneral Description 'z ctth' Reference to thetDmwiny. v

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved beehive, with the upper or honey-chamber removed;

Figure 2 is a vertical section vthrough `the entire hive in the plane ofthe comb-frames;

Figure 3 is a verticalsection at right angles to the `previous one, theisectioll being taken at the lille X X; and

1` Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of .one of the comb-frames. v l l Y i Mybee-hive is composedof two distinct cllambers ,or apartments, Aand:B, of which the lower and'stav tionary one A islthe brood-chamber, and the upper or 1 detachable one B is the honey-chamber.

' The chamber A' is provided with a movable bottom. hoard,"0, which can be slid out for. the purpose ot' cleaning thehive, and this board is capable of being adjusted, so as `tcfallowa greater or lesser lopening y at the front of the hive ,for ventilation,`&c., bythe i following arrangement:

Secured to the lowerside of this boarrhnear its edges, are battons, D13', whose l forward extremities -terminate in `inclined planes or wedges, d d', which A arefcapable of playing upon thechamtfered or beveledl edgese cf of the rail E.-

1 When the bottoni board `is drawn forward these inclined planesidescend the charnfered edges of the aforesaid rail `arid allow `the board to drop a slight distance, as shown ing. but when the board is shoved backthe inclined planes ride up on said cham- `fered edges, thereby eleva-ting the baard C and closing tlleopelling, asshown in igzl.

`.lhe front edgeof' the bottomboard projects some` distance beyond the hive, as shownat c, so as to serve as" alsupportfor the bees to alight uponbciore ent-er- Vin gthe hive. i l Y Thecustomary entrance to the hive is through an aperture, H, which may be more or less closed by a shutter or scutcheon, l.

' Extending along the mid-length of board C is a cleat, F, which serves to stii'en said board and prevent in-warping; and it also limits the distance to which V the bottom board is shoved in, by the rear end of saidV cleat impinging against the rail G. v.

The rear of the brood-chamber is furnished with a removable back, J, which is capable of being detached by simply turning d own the button K.

'.lhe upper edges of the walls ofthe breeding-chamber are formed into-ledges, a a', for supporting the 'comb-frames, vwhich are composed of two strips or slats, L. L',that are united at their apexes and separoof-shape, as shown in-iigs. 1, 2, and 4.

Inserted ill the apexes of these frames are thin strips 'of wood or pasteboard, yM, which serve as a base for the bees to build 'straight'comb upon. 4

' Recesses lare made in the edges ot" the frames, so

rated at their bases so as to have the represented 'as to form channels through which the bees can pass.

from one chamber to another, and these .channels also allow air to circulate freely through all parts of the hive.

' The top of the removable lhoney-chamber B slopes i in two opposite directions, as shown at b b', and the lower edges oi the same project soule distance beyond the sides of chamber A, so as to shed water as far as possible from the hive.

Secured to the ezlztreme projecting edges of th'e slop;v

ing sides b b' ofthe roof are inwardly-inclined boards N N', which rest against sholildersV O iQjof chamber A.v The front endP of the honey-cha'mber'zand therear one P are vertical, as shown in fig. 3, andare provided with ventilators, R R'. The rooffshaped comb-bars are designed to take the place` of the frames in common use, and they overcome fvailio'us objections in securing movable combs. l

Beesseldo'unif ever, attach `their`combs to the bot- 4com bars of the framesy in the 'brood-chamber of the hive, and" usually but a portion ofV the distance down the end bars, and all the area of thecomb attachment being represented by the roof-shaped comb-bars, itis evident that the loss of space occupied bythe surplus frames and the harbor formedthereby for moths and other intruders between the frames and the walls of the hive are obviated, vand the combs are more readilyremoved, on account lof there being no bot-tom bars to interfere with other combs or cause the bees to attach one comb to twov frames or two combs to one fran-le.

My peculiar-shaped comb-bars are not liable to warp, are much cheaper, more readily manufactured, afford all the surface required for the 'attachment ci' the combs, and the combs swing, or ratherare suspended,

in a natural manner, allowing the bees all the space within the hive below the honey-boards formed by the comb-bars, and all the space that is possible to give them in any form of hive.

lhese comb-bars form.A the only honey-boards required in my hive, and aiord surplus room both above and also at each side of the brood-chamber, and in as close proximity thereto as possible; and, by making passages on each side of said bars to the honey-boxes, the queen will never enter such boxes to deposit her eggs.

Claim.

I claim as my invention- The roof-shaped bars L L I, in combination with the broodchamber A a a. O 0 and the detachable honey-chamber B b b' N N P P', as and for the purposes described.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

Witnesses: FELIX BREWER.

-.JOHN` B. ELLIS, D. B. Conwy. 

